4 Ways to Protect Your Company’s Good Name

As a small business owner, one of your greatest assets is your reputation. It’s the best way to gain new customers and keep your regulars coming back.

But in today’s social media world where every 12-year-old is a critic, is it still possible to protect your good name, especially online? And what if a complaint or concern is legitimate? To find out, we spoke with Beth Tallent, vice president of public relations for Dave’s company. Here’s her advice for handling online issues, as well as what to do when there’s truly a problem.

Do Your Best
Social media provides incredible opportunities to promote your business. But unfortunately, the reverse is true too. In fact, according to a research report from Zendesk, 45% of shoppers share bad customer service experiences via social media. So your first step is to do what every EntreLeader does best: Offer great products and even better service. And always follow the Golden Rule—Treat others as you want to be treated.

Monitor Your Reviews
Despite offering crazy wonderful customer care, there still may be someone who’s had a bad experience. You may not even be aware of it, but you can bet their friends sure do. That’s why it is a good idea to have someone consistently monitoring social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Yelp. Most allow businesses to respond publically or privately.

“If it’s a legitimate issue, take care of it,” Beth says. “A lot of it, you’ll want to take offline. Actually contact the person and say, ‘Let’s talk about this.’”

Used with permission from daveramsey.com
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